The Cisterna Cards
by Aquana-Girl
Summary: However, as she turned around and climbed a single stair, he didn't let her go, grabbing her by the elbow."Don't you want to apologize to me after you bumped into me?" He growled as they stood on different levels on the staircase. "Why should I? Now let me go before I make you." They're neighbors but not ordinary people. They can only exist in the shadows. TalaxKari


**The Cisterna Cards**

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

I neither own Beyblade nor Digimon.

What I do own, however, are the Cisterna Cards. They are my own creation.

Chapters: 1/~10

Translations found at the end of each chapter.

Summary:.

§

Hamburg

§

Kari arrived at 9 o'clock sharp in Hamburg.

After she had stepped out of the ICE, the high-speed train rushed past her, taking the other passengers with it and leaving her behind. Deep inside, she wished that it would take her with it, too, and she entertained the thought of buying another ticket to go to another place – a warmer place.

She already knew that she wouldn't like Hamburg. It might've been winter but it was extraordinary cold, the morning sky like bleak crystalline splinters. She didn't like the cold but beggars couldn't be choosers, she thought morosely. There were only Germans on the train platform, most of them haggard-faced and sharp-featured, she felt alienated. Her tall, black boots might've given her the same height as them, but she knew that without them she would be one head smaller than everyone else. However, they were all dressed in basically the same way as her: in thick coats with scarfs and warm hats and boots.

It was still early, so there were not many people crowding the platform she was currently standing on, but at her left were snack-stands and among them was a stand that sold the infamous _bratwurst_ , a so-called German delicacy. Something utterly foreign to her but something she knew from general knowledge, making her feel even more out of place in addition to the foreign language printed on the blue train-station signs. Kari paid the _bratwurst_ stand no more attention and turned to her right, walking the short distance to the staircase and descending it. Her hands were shuffled in the warm pockets of her coat- she had no language at all. Mr. Dickenson had said that she wouldn't need any and that she should just buy everything she needed once she had arrived in the metropolis, Hamburg. He had been right though, and she really didn't need anything because he had equipped her with everything she needed: a passport, an I.D. and an E.C card that was loaded with cash. However, she supposed that even if he hadn't provided her with money, it wouldn't have been a problem. She could always get her hands on money if she wanted. But actually even if she didn't have money or any necessities for living, as long as she had a Cisterna Cards she didn't need anything else. They were a blessing and curse at the same time, condemning her.

As she reached the base-floor of the train-station, she was greeted by crowds of commuters and other kinds of people. There were brightly- and warmly-lit bakeries, Mc Donalds and several other stands, but Kari didn't recognize all of them. Although it was only nine o'clock, the stands were already decked with customers; it was lively here and Kari hated it.

She wanted peace and quietness, but most of all she wanted to drown in her own macabre thoughts of guilt and sins.

As she continued walking, she encountered several fashion shops and among them were H&M and Primark, which also existed in Japan. She saw her own reflection in the window-planes as she passed the shops; a girl with shoulder-long, dyed pink hair and blue eyes looked back at her. A disguise, not her real appearance. Due the slight waves incorporated into her hair-style, the shape of her face influenced, changing her looks even more- sometimes she sometimes didn't recognize herself when she looked into the mirror.

It only added to the feeling of alienation.

Mentally, she made a note that she would come back here and do some major-shopping once she had gone to her new apartment, which Mr. Dickenson had rented for her – her new home. Far away from the organization. She wanted a shower and a small nap.

Kari took the bus that would drive her to her new home.

§

Kari arrived half an hour later, so that it was already ten o'clock. She was standing in front of her apartment complex that was built with morose dark brown stones, making it resemble a bleak stone building. It looked old and unwelcoming and just a little shabby from the outside- Kari didn't have any expectations for this place as she walked up the three stairs to the main-entrance and rang the bell with the name of the landlord lady, which Mr. Dickenson had informed her about.

After a while, a scratchy voice answered, "Ja, wer ist da?"

German, of course, Kari mused. She was in Germany after all.

Kari cleared her voice to answer in English. "Hello man, I'm Hikari Kamiya, the new tenant."

"Ah…ohh…Mrs. Kamiya vrom Japan? I erinnern," the landlord lady spoke with a mixture of broken English and supposedly German. At least, she remembered who she was.

"Yes, exactly," Kari said.

Only one second later, a grotesque sound filled the air- the sound of the front door being unlocked electronically. "Please komm in, komm in."

"Thank you," Kari voiced her gratitude curtly and pushed the heavy glass door open with a hand, stepping inside.

The ground floor was nothing impressive but had something oddly aesthetic and tasteful about it with its checkered floor that resembled a chessboard, the black-mailboxes at her right side and at last the old-fashioned staircase that led upstairs. Only a moment later, the landlord lady, a tiny old thing, hurried downstairs to enthusiastically greet Kari. She was wearing a faded-out tunic and had her grayed hair up in a bun.

"Ah wilcome, Miss Kamiya," she welcomed her cordially, her cold, wrinkled hands squeezing Kari's.

"Am so happy that you here. How Japan," the landlord lady made a linking motion. "To Hamburg?"

Kari guessed she was asking about how her trip was. "It was fine. Thank you for asking."

"Ah so happy," the old woman smiled brightly. "Now upstairs. Room." She pointed with her finger to the staircase and Kari nodded curtly.

"Of course."

Together they ascended the staircase while the old woman talked some gibberish, which Kari didn't really bother to understand. It was probably the stuff people talked when new tenants arrived.

When they reached the second floor, Kari was surprised that the old woman was not out of breath yet. She had assumed that she would be collapsing from the strain due old age, but she was fitter than some of the youngsters, who she had seen panting from merely climbing to the first floor.

"Here you room," the landlord lady stated, pointing at the door with the room-number 202.

Then, she reached into the pocket of her pants and retrieved a key linked to a chain. "Here you ki. Please don't lose it."

Kari curled her hand around the key, accepting it from the old woman's hand. "I won't. Thank you very much."

The old woman suddenly blinked in surprise and pointed at the spot beside her at the floor.

"You no…?"

She guessed she was asking about her luggage- or rather her lack of.

Kari shook her head in response. "I didn't bring any."

"Ah, then," the old woman clasped her hands together and bowed politely to Kari. "Goyukuri kudasai."

Kari was surprised at first but then smiled genuinely for the first time she had arrived in Hamburg. Although the context in which the landlord lady used the saying was a little wrong, Kari genuinely appreciated her effort to make her feel at home.

Kari mimicked her, bowing politely in return. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

Then, in almost the exact moment, they heard heavy steps descending from the aged staircase, and instinctively Kari turned around to see who it was.

"Ah, guten Tag, Herr Valkov!" The landlord lady greeted the other tenant, waving happily at him.

Kari was astounded, a young man with delicate yet masculine features walked downstairs, but his features weren't the only reason why he was standing out so much physical. His beauty was the kind of beauty that turned heads on the streets but he was not beautiful in the same way a gorgeous model on a cat-walk was, no he was different. He was beautiful like a sad painting and suddenly Kari was struck with the desire to cry. He was truly unlike the German natives with his flame-red hair and his glacial turquoise eyes, which were accentuated by the black of his winter-coat.

However, he didn't care about the old lady's greeting and only ignored her, oozing an air of arrogance. He continued his way nonchalantly without even gracing them with a glance, even though he was walking right past them. Kari noticed in the back of her mind that he was taller than her and especially the old landlord-lady.

Once he had walked right past her, though he was no longer ignoring her.

He turned around and seemed to glare at her but then a shadow of doubt crossed his beautiful features as he walked of their sight.

The landlord lady shook her head but didn't seem to have noticed the glares they had exchanged. "Those Russians," she complained. "They are rude as fuck."

Initially Kari was a little surprised at how well the landlord lady was able to curse in English, even though she couldn't even string a single correct sentence together. Although on further thought, it should've surprised her. Insults were always easier to remember.

Kari didn't bother to agree but also didn't disagree. Beauty was sometimes synonymous to arrogance.

"Oh, you in you room, sweet," the landlord lady told her good-heartedly, ushering her inside with a hand on her elbow and then making a sleeping gesture.

Kari could only smile and nod.

§

Inside her apartment it was completely empty. Kari didn't have the time to buy any furniture but she would do it as soon as possible she guessed. All the better, she thought, saved her the same time to search for bugs. For now the rooms of the apartment were bathed in a stark white due the cold, depressing winter weather outside, and the smooth laminate under her shoes caused her steps to echo. However, Kari didn't bother about it and headed to the bathroom first without taking anything off. What she really needed now was a shower. Fully dressed, Kari went into the bathroom, which was just as dreary and cold as the rest of her apartment, but it was fortunately equipped with toilet paper and towels- a kind gesture from the landlord lady.

Kari turned on the water first to check it, then promptly stripped off her clothes, climbing into the shower. The water was boiling hot on her skin, turning it red but in spite of its heat it didn't truly manage to chase away the cold in her bones.

After she was done and toweled herself dry, she only put on her long dark top and boots, laying down on the nude floor, curling into a fetal position, her Cisterna Cards inside her boots.

§

When Kari woke up, her body was sore from sleeping on the cold hard floor but it was nothing in comparison to the hardships she had to endure in the past. She dressed properly and ventured out of the house with the intention to get some cash and buy some clothes, taking the bus and returning to the train-station since she didn't know how to get to the shopping area yet. She would've to ask some citizens on the way.

At the train-station, she extracted some money from the cash machine with her EC-card and was a little taken back from the sum of money Mr. Dickenson had deposition on her account. It was more than enough; she wouldn't have to worry about money at all but that didn't mean she wouldn't have to work at all. No, on contrary, the money was just a little appetizer. She would still have to do quite some dirty work in Hamburg, even though she wanted nothing more than to start a new life.

She retrieved 100€ from her account.

Kari headed to one of the many fashion stores in the train-station and picked out the clothes that matched her taste and fit her style. Dully, she stood in front of the mirror and held the clothes she selected against her body to get an impression of how they would look on her. The first one was a navy-blue tunic with a soft cut that emphasized her figure, its skirt ending at her the lower part of her thighs. Secondly, she checked out a Harley zip cardigan that had a slit that exposed a triangle of the left side of her upper-body, which made it look unique and trendy. Then, she did the same with the sweaters, dress-shirts, jeans and leggings she had selected. Of course, she also needed underwear.

So after having gotten everything she needed, she paid at the checkout.

She was greeted by the cashier, a nice girl with a blonde ponytail in black clothes, who couldn't be any older than seventeen, most likely working part-time because she needed the money.

"Hallo."

Kari only returned the greeting with a weak smile. The young cashier scanned the articles of clothing but Kari didn't bother about keeping tabs on it, because she had already calculated the overall price in her head. 66,68€

"Das macht dann 66,68€ bitte," the young cashier said after having folded and put all the clothes she was about to buy in a bag and while Kari didn't understand German, she filtered the keyword "Euro" from what she said.

Smoothly, Kari selected three 20 euro bills and one 10€ bill.

The young cashier took the money from her and gave her the change, smiling brightly. "Vielen Dank für Ihren Einkauf. Auf Wiedersehen."

Kari nodded, her lips curling into a slight smirk. "Tschüss."

The German word for bye, something she had picked up when she had conversed with some citizens to ask for diverse directions, and on contrary to their cold appearance the ones she had talked to were quite friendly. However, Hamburg was not Tokyo obviously. There were quite some hostile gazes she received due her Asian features and some insults muttered under their breaths. The mumbled words were in German, of course, but Kari was sure that they were insults judging by the dirty look in their eyes. Well, everyone was free to feel a sense of hostility towards whoever they wanted.

Kari exited the store, her hands shoved into the pockets of her winter-coat, the bag of clothes slung around her forearm.

She was hungry now.

§

It looked even colder from the inside of the coffee shop Kari had chosen to eat and as she sat right at the windowed walls. She had ordered a panino and a black coffee. She didn't truly bother eating it as she observed the people streaming across the streets, all of them European-looking which made her feel isolated and alienated.

She wasn't one of them.

She was still a lap-dog chained on a leash.

She wanted to be someone else.

Kari drank her coffee after she had finished her sandwich.

§

Tala was sitting in his apartment with all the jalousies shuttered, the light of his laptop reflecting in his glacial blue eyes. He was talking with the person on the other side of the world through the net and on Russian.

"And have you found any clues of your sister?" Boris Balkov asked.

"No, not yet," Tala answered.

"I hope that you're grateful I've given you the permission to come to Hamburg and search for your sister."

"I am, sir. I really am."

"Very well. Remember that you still have to fulfil all your assignments in Hamburg. I'll give your next one in two weeks."

"Yes, sir."

With that the line disconnected.

§

Kari still had some time to kill before her "rendezvous", so she decided to spent her time, buying a tour-guide and a ticket for a sight-seeing tour by bus, because she needed to know the localities for future work. She could hardly always ask people on the street, she mused wryly.

Hamburg was just as dreary as its first impression had foreshadowed but maybe that was just because of the winter. Kari memorized all the foreign-street names and they tasted strange on her tongue as they passed the different avenues of the city. The buildings were tall and dense, the trees barren, and the shitty weather creating a depressive atmosphere. On the trip, they passed several shops that were internationally established, some big name establishments for luxury shopping, and some shops that Kari didn't recognize.

Some of the buildings they passed were old, made of stone and toughed up with fierce, aesthetically-pleasing feral cats stone-statues. They suited them extremely well.

Eventually they reached the inhabited neighborhoods, which were mainly filled with family-houses built in Europan-style, and Kari blanked out a little, wondering deep in her mind how it would feel if she lived in one of those charming, unique houses, too, as one of their family members. She wondered how it would've felt if she had born here as a normal girl without the power to control the Cisterna Cards.

Eventually the sight-seeing tour was over but she still had some time left.

So, she decided to go to a bookstore. She headed straight for the international selection because she obviously couldn't read German and picked up some books written in her native language.

§

Kari was finally on her way to the rendezvous place, sitting in the subway on a cold metal bench in between other passengers and in front of graffiti marked windows. In Japan, the train windows were always unblemished and sparkling clean. Another big difference.

The ride took about twenty minutes when she arrived at her destination and got out, having to adjust her pace to the masses of people walking in front of her. There were so many people. Hamburg was undeniably a metropolis. Kari climbed the staircase and crossed the short corridor that led her outside into the chilling air of the evening, where her breath frosted. She was walking across the streets at the harbor, the sea next to her making it seem even colder until she reached a lively avenue with plenty of gastronomy establishment and co. The harbor itself was a magnificent sight with the European buildings and powerful sea but Kari failed to appreciate its beauty. She felt too jaded, too old to do so.

Kari wandered across the alleyway until she found what she was looking for: a high-class hotel with five-star restaurant called LEUCHTKAMMER.

She entered the restaurant and was immediately greeted by one of the waitresses in white uniform; she gave her alias to the waitress, who guided her to a reserved table at an extremely isolated corner, where her "date" was already waiting for her.

Jacqueline Adams, or

Rather Emily Watson, the second hand of Stanlay A. Dickenson

She smiled with a deceptive politeness at her, talking in English to her. "Good evening, Mrs Kamiya. I'm glad you are here."

"Good evening, Mrs. Adams."

Kari nodded and took a seat, removing her coat. From where they sat, nobody would be able to eavesdrop on them, however, Kari guessed that this hotel was under Mr. Dickingson's control anyway.

"So how is Hamburg? How is your first impression of it, Mrs. Kamiya?"

"It's a nice city," Kari said smoothly.

"I see. I'm glad to hear so," she replied. "Wine?"

"A glass would be fine," she answered, and Emily winked at the waitress, ordering a bottle of fine red wine.

She reached into her briefcase and retrieved a pink VAIO laptop and a sample of the newest smartphone, placing the devices in front of her.

"Those are for you from Mr. Dickenson. The laptop and smartphone are especially protected and wired; no one will be able to hack into the system or spy on you. Not even the NSA. You will be able to contact Mr. through the laptop and phone, and you'll receive all your assignments from Mr. Dickenson himself when you communicate with him through the messenger. But of course, you can always use the laptop or the phone for mundane things such as surfing the net and such things."

"I see. Thank you very much for the devices," Kari said.

Emily nodded. "Mr. Dickenson will give you all the necessary information about your assignment. Please go online at 12 o'clock tonight; Mr. Dickenson will be awaiting you. Now what should we have for dinner?"

Dining with Emily Watson was like having a business dinner. They maintained a light-hearted almost fun conversation thorough, talking about the sights of Hamburg, about how it differed from Tokyo, an about how she fared with the language barrier. Kari eyed the guests sharply, noting that they were all high-class people but there seemed to be something off about them. The same applied to the staff. Just expected, Mr. Dickenson mostly ruled the LEUCHTKAMMER, too.

The pasta here was splendid, the noodles and the mushrooms in cream-sauce melting deliciously in her mouth, but Kari was too occupied with the uncertainty of her future to savor the taste.

In the end, they finished their dinner and Emily called a taxi for both of them, for which he paid and which drove her home, and him to the air-port. She was returning to Japan tonight.

§

Kari was online at 12 o'clock sharp and a messenger window popped up from the **B** symbol of the desktop.

Standley A. Dickenson was the leader of the BBA Organization underneath the surface, and on the surface the immensely successful CEO, who owned a chain of hotels, gastronomies, boutiques and so much many more. He was smiling at her.

"How do you like it in Hamburg, Kamiya-san?" He was one of the few people with whom she could speak in Japanese in Hamburg.

"Dickenson-san," she greeted him. "It's nice here." As nice as the sensation of swallowing glass.

"I am glad to hear so. And that you're out of the organization and feign your death."

"Me too," Kari agreed quietly.

"The first day is always the most important day, Yagami. It indicates how the rest of your journey will fare."

He was right with that, though.

"Dickenson-san," she cut in. "I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me. But I need to ask: you're going to keep your promise and set me free once I've completed all the assignments you've given me, right?"

"Of course, I always keeps his word."

 _I'm not so sure about that._

"Would you like to receive your first assignment now?"

Kari nodded. "Of course."

Mr. Dickenson drawled and pressed a key on his keyboard. A window of a woman with long, reddish-brown locks and with somber blue eyes. She was wearing red lip-stick that brought out her beauty even more, her curly hair, serious features giving her an air of maturity and allure. On the right side, her personal information was shown: name, age, occupation and so.

"You need to kill this woman," he told her.

"I see. Is she a Cisterna Card controller?" Kari asked.

"No, she is just an ordinary human without any special powers. However, she used knows some important information about our organization. We cannot let her live."

"Of course, Dickenson-san."

"You can take your time, though, Kamiya-san. The deadline for this assignment is at the end of the month."

"Why so late?"

"Because this woman is harmless as long as she doesn't meet up with Mr. Jason, who is going to be assassinated by one of my men tomorrow."

"I see."

"Thank you for the compliment." Kari bit her lip. "Mr., I can I ask a favor of you?"

"A favor, ahn? Sounds interesting. Let's hear what you want."

"I want a job at the University in this city."

"Ah, you mean at the Grauburg University?"

"Alright, I got it."

§

At the next afternoon, Kari returned from her part-time job but not the one she got from Mr. Dickenson, accidentally bumping into her Russian neighbor when she climbed the stairs with her hands in the pocket of her coat.

" _Pass auf, wo du hingehst!"_ He hissed at her but she merely raised a slender eyebrow at him, not understanding the language which he used to snap at her.

He seemed to comprehend the non-verbal cue she gave him because he switched to Japanese, which threw her off guard. "Ah, I forgot you're Japanese and not from here."

Kari was surprised. "How comes that you speak Japanese so well?"

He was good, very good at it because the accent in his voice was minimal and his pronunciation was flawless otherwise.

He smirked. "Because I lived for several years in Japan when I was young."

"I see," she drawled. "Well, see you, then."

However, after she turned around and climbed a single stair, he didn't let her, grabbing her by the elbow.

"Hey, don't you want to apologize to me after you bumped into me?" He asked angrily almost threateningly as they glared at each other while standing on different levels on the staircase.

Kari's eyes, which were currently almost the same glacial blue as his, narrowed. "Why should I? I don't see any need to do so after you insulted me right afterward. Now let me go before I make you."

He smirked this time provocatively. "Is this a threat?"

" _Yes_ ," she hissed. It wasn't in her nature to provoke a fight but the Russian young man in front of her made her lose control of her impulses.

"Fine, then make me," he challenged.

 **Translations**

"Ja, wer ist da?"- _Yes, who is it?_

"Ah…ohh…Mrs. Kamiya vrom Japan? I erinnern."- " _Ah….ohh-Mrs. Kamiya from Japan? I remember._

"Please komm in, komm in." - _Please come in, come in._

"Goyukuri kudasai." – _Make yourself feel at home._

"Arigatou gozaimasu." _– Thank you very much._

"Ah, guten Tag, Herr Valkov!" – _Ah, good day, Mr. valkov._

"Das macht dann 66,68€ bitte." – _That will be 66,68€, please._


End file.
